Partner Focus: 2022 Highlights and 2023 Aspirations
It’s less than two weeks before we bid 2022 goodbye. Like in previous years, 2022 has offered us an opportunity to learn and re-evaluate our work from within and with our partners. Our aim as MAMA HOPE has always been to ensure that we foster eye-level partnerships across all our community-led organizations based on trust and listening. At the same time, we have been allowing our model to evolve based on the needs and opportunities presented by the international development community.
A 2022 highlight for the community-led partnerships program was the resumption of partner visits, after a 2-year break due to COVID-19. It was really great to have an in-person reunion with our partners in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana. From Budondo in Uganda to Bawjiase in Ghana, we were inspired by the progress and the stories of impact created by these communities. Their self-determination was visible through the progress made in projects, indicating resilience and rejuvenation.
Two lessons the community-led partnerships program learned this year was. First, a holistic approach to community development creates sustainability within community-led organizations. Sustainability does not only manifest itself in terms of financial independence but is based on the systems set in place to allow organizations to advance wholly. Second, growth within the community-led development model takes a variety of approaches, as each strategy is unique to the needs and settings of the community. The model requires significant amounts of human, social, and financial capital, as well as substantial investments of time to nurture meaningful relationships.
Here are some 2022 highlights and lessons and aspirations for 2023 from some of our partners:
ACHIEVE CHANGE THROUGH COLLABORATION
by Dr Kilines Betty Sekwiha — Founder and Director, The Queen Elizabeth Academy, Mlali, Tanzania.
Ever since I started Queen Elizabeth Academy (QEA), my wish has been to bring change to my local community. This year, I have learned that change is a permanent goal because we every day need to change something in our institution in specific and in our community in general, no matter how small the change might be. This might be a change of practice, change of attitude, and change of system. All geared towards making our lives better and our environment a safe place for all of us.
In the course of efforts to make change happen, I have become so ambitious to achieve the vision and goals I have for my community. This year, I learned that change is almost impossible without a wide range of collaboration with my team, which is key to achieving the set goals. For instance, instead of waiting to finish building the entire hostel, we managed to take the work little by little and housed over 50 pupils in the completed rooms. We wish to do the same and more for the upcoming year.
My hope for 2023 is to strengthen teamwork, divide the vision into manageable goals, embrace change, and move forward.
BE FLEXIBLE AND READY TO ADAPT TO CHANGE
By David Omondi — Executive Director, Riley Orton Foundation, Kisumu, Kenya.
The two key lessons we have learned this year as Riley Orton Foundation (ROF) are: First, investing in qualified staff is key to ensuring organizational success. We are focussing on hiring and retaining qualified staff even though accessing flexible and predictable funding to compensate staff remains a major challenge.
Second, as we work towards our vision of girls and a community with the agency to reach their full potential, we should be flexible because things have been so uncertain since the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the climate change crisis. We have learned that we need to be flexible and adapt our programming as things keep changing around the world. We have managed to successfully phase out the Akili Girls Boarding School (the last class will graduate in 2023) as we transition to STEM Education and Life skills training/mentorship which we will be offering at our new AKILI STEMarts Academy.
The key highlight for 2022 is that we gave out high school scholarships to 45 needy girls and kept 3,500 students in school through the provision of school uniforms. We also provided 40 bicycles for girls to cycle to school and escape transactional sex for lifts to school. Our goal is to ensure that students are in school and are learning to achieve their dreams.
Our hope for 2023, is to reduce the gender and skills gap in STEM and inspire both girls and boys to improve and grow interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and take up STEM careers through STEM camps and workshops at our Akili STEMarts Academy and partner schools. We also look forward to transitioning more students to high school through scholarships and school uniform provisions.”
DEDICATE YOURSELF AND DON’T GIVE UP
by Aikande Robert — Co-Founder, Nguzo Women and Youth Foundation, Moshi, Tanzania.
I remember being a bit frustrated in January of 2022. I was worried and wondering about how things will go, I thought this would be one of the most difficult years. The same month, I went to the office and started doing some cleaning. I was accompanied by my nanny, speaking to myself saying, “Everything is going to be alright, all things are possible.” I told myself that I will make it. We finished cleaning and arranged all the files, and I was ready to work in a tidy office. I recruited new personnel, whom I shared about our work, and they were excited and motivated to be part of the Nguzo team.
In 2022, we have learnt to be dedicated to our work, and we have learnt not to give up and should focus on what we want to achieve. As a leader, I have learnt to be optimistic and I became someone with a positive mind. 2022 has been a piloting time for me to become a full-time staff at Nguzo. It has become the best year that taught me about opportunities that are out there and has given me the network I needed, and I have realized I have a lot of potential.
In 2023, it will be the time for me to implement and utilize the most of it, network more, and share more about who we are and what we do. I see another great step in our work, I see us achieving most of our objectives and goals. It will be our year of achieving more and a year of us standing as Nguzo in our community.”
ENHANCE APPROACHES TO PRESERVE DIGNITY
by Tobias Ounga — Executive Director, Tropical Focus for Rural Development (TF), Kisumu, Kenya.
Some of the lessons we learned as Tropical Focus are, first the solutions to the needs of under-served families in Kisumu North are not necessarily a ‘one-size-fits-all’. Although the broad approach to the solutions may be similar, each of the individual families requires different solutions that are unique to each family, for instance, the immediate needs of one family may be water harvesting gutters, while for another, water tank, fish pond, or vegetable gardening. Therefore, an integrated approach is useful in addressing the needs of the villages that are supported by Tropical Focus for Rural Development.
Second, Climate change is already impacting highly on under-served families — specifically in Kisumu North, rainfalls have become unpredictable, although slightly above normal. Since these under-served families are rarely in touch with current information, they are not aware of what is going on, why and what they can do about it. Third, under-served families tend to adhere to traditional styles for livelihoods for their incomes and food and a lot of sensitization is required to introduce improved practices.
Finally, a number of under-served families may feel ashamed when they are considered to be needy. When they are supported, they may feel that they are categorized as poor and consider this degrading. It is necessary to enhance approaches that preserve the dignity of under-served families. Having funds to run community-led projects for our community members means ‘we take the lead in empowering ourselves’. It means that we are free to decide by ourselves, we are able to weigh out options and settle on the most appropriate, more viable, and more sustainable options.
As it is with the rest of our partners in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, and Guatemala, 2022 has been a year of new learnings, and highlights that have been shaped by challenges, resilience, and achievements. For the Community-led Partnerships (CLP) Program, we hope to work deeper with our partners in creating a more robust model. We aspire to work more in-depth with them in ensuring that more resources are availed to them.
Thank you Vincent Mwangi, our Community-led Partnerships Lead, for compiling this report.
